Carrie: The Musical is a musical with a book by Lawrence D. Cohen, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and music by Michael Gore. Adapted from Stephen King's novel Carrie, it focuses on an awkward teenage girl with telekinetic powers whose lonely life is dominated by an oppressive religious fanatic mother. When she is humiliated by her classmates at the high school Prom, she unleashes chaos on everyone and everything in her path.
History[]
Inspired by a 1981 performance of Alban Berg's opera Lulu at the Metropolitan Opera House, Lawrence D. Cohen, who wrote the script for the 1976 film of Carrie, and Michael Gore began work on a musical based on the Stephen King novel. Michael's Fame collaborator, Dean Pitchford, was brought in to work on the project, which underwent numerous rewrites. In August 1984, a workshop of the first act was staged at 890 Broadway, New York City with Annie Golden as Carrie, Maureen McGovern as Mrs. White, Laurie Beechman as Mrs. Gardner, and Liz Callaway as Christine. It was soon announced that Carrie would be produced on Broadway in 1986. Funding was not raised until late 1987.
Stratford[]
The show was produced by Friedrich Kurz and the Royal Shakespeare Company and had it's first 4 week run beginning on February 13, 1988 in Stratford upon Avon, England, where it received mixed reviews. Directed by Terry Hands and choreographed by Debbie Allen, the cast included Broadway veteran and cabaret singer Barbara Cook, Charlotte d'Amboise, Gene Anthony Ray, Darlene Love, and Linzi Hateley, in her stage debut, as Carrie White. The production was plagued with script and technical problems. The crew was unable to douse Linzi with fake blood without causing her microphone to malfunction. Rewrites continued following each show, and the program cited a song, "Once I Loved a Boy", which had been rewritten and retitled "When There's No One" prior to the first performance. Barbara resigned when she was nearly decapitated by an elaborate set piece the White's living room, during "Open Your Heart" on opening night, but she agreed to stay on until a replacement could be cast, which turned out to be the remainder of the show's Stratford run. A musical section of the "Locker Room Scene" which has come to be known as "Her Mother Should Have Told Her" was removed after the initial few performances, and another song, "White Star", was later excised.
1988 Broadway[]
The show transferred to Broadway at an expense of $8.00 million at the time an exorbitant amount. Hateley, who ultimately won a Theatre World Award, and other members of the U.K. cast remained with the show, but Cook was replaced by Betty Buckley who had played the gym teacher Miss Collins in the 1976 film. The show started previews on April 28, 1988, at the Virginia Theatre. After the final song, boos were heard mixed in with applause. Ken Mandelbaum is quoted by Wollman, MacDermot, and Trask: "Ken Mandelbaum writes of an audience divided during early previews, the curtain calls of which were greeted with a raucous mix of cheers and boos. However, in an instant, when Linzi Hateley and Betty Buckley rose to take their bows, the entire theatre turned to a standing ovation. According to the New York Times, "The show had received standing ovations at some previews, as well as on opening night…" The show officially opened on May 12, 1988. Hampered by scathing reviews, and despite the fact that the theatre was sold out every night, the financial backers pulled their money out of the show, and it closed on May 15 after only 16 previews and 5 performances, guaranteeing its place in theatre history as one of the most expensive disasters of all time. According to The New York Times, the "more than $7.00 million show… was the most expensive quick flop in Broadway history."
2012 Off-Broadway[]
A reading was held on November 20th, 2009, in New York City. The score and book were revised by original composers Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, and writer Lawrence D. Cohen. The songs "Dream On", "It Hurts to Be Strong", "Don't Waste the Moon", "Heaven", "I'm Not Alone", "Wotta Night" and "Out for Blood" were removed and replaced with new songs. The reading was directed by Stafford Arima and starred Sutton Foster, Marin Mazzie and Molly Ranson. On October 5, 2010, it was confirmed that Carrie would be produced Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre by M.C.C. Theater. The director is Stafford Arima with the original creators working on revisions of the show. From May 25 through June 7, a developmental lab was held at M.C.C., directed by Stafford and choreographed by Matt Williams. The initial cast for the revival was announced on May 3, 2011. From the reading held in 2009, Marin Mazzie starred as Margaret White and Molly Ranson as Carrie. Additional cast was announced on November 21, 2011. On August 1, 2011, a benefit preview of the revival was presented at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Titled "Revisiting Carrie", the event gave a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming production with Lawrence D., Michael and Dean. Stafford was also present as well. Throughout the evening, Marin, Molly and other cast members, performed song selections from the show. The revival began previews on January 31, 2012, and officially opened on March 1, 2012, and closed a month later on April 8 after a limited engagement with 34 previews and 46 performances. The M.C.C. directors said: "M.C.C., the authors, and the director achieved what we all set out to do to rescue Carrie from oblivion and to give her new life. Plans are under way to preserve this production for Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, so it may live on in the memories of the thousands of theatergoers who saw and loved it". During the 2011/2012 awards season the show was nominated for multiple awards, winning one. On April 9, 2012, Ghostlight Records announced that they would record the first ever cast album of the show. The recording was released September 25, 2012.
2013 Seattle[]
2013 Sydney[]
2015 London[]
In early 2015, Paul Taylor Mills the producer and Gary Lloyd the director announced that they were bringing the revamped Carrie to London's Off-West End theatre, the Southwark Playhouse running for a limited season from May 1 to 30. Casting for this production included Evelyn Hoskins in the title role, Kim Criswell as Margaret White, Sarah McNicholas as Sue Snell, Gabriella Williams as Christine Hargensen, Jodie Jacobs as Miss Gardner, Greg Miller Burns as Tommy Ross and Dex Lee as Billy Nolan. The production opened to mostly positive reviews, mostly congratulating Evelyn on her performance as Carrie and Kim as her terrifying mother.
2015 Los Angeles[]
On March 18, 2015 a new environmental immersive version of Carrie received it's Los Angeles premiere at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Directed by Brady Schwind and Choreographed by Lee Martino, the cast for the Los Angeles premiere included Emily Lopez as Carrie White, Misty Cotton as Margaret White, Kayla Parker as Sue Snell, Jon Robert Hall as Tommy Ross, Valerie Rose Curiel as Christine Hargensen, Garrett Marshall as Billy Nolan and Jenelle Lynn Randall as Miss Gardner. The production also featured Tiana Okoye as an alternate for Carrie. She is the first African-American actress to play the part in a mainstream production. The immersive production, featuring a further revised book and score and renamed Carrie: The Killer Musical Experience received largely positive reviews, especially for it's cast and unique staging concept. Producers Jack W. Batman and Bruce Robert Harris announced in an interview with Playbill that future productions of the staging were planned for additional cities nationwide and internationally. The La Mirada production of Carrie received five Ovation Award nominations from the L.A. Stage Alliance: Best Production of a Musical, Best Actress: Emily Lopez, Best Actress: Misty Cotton, Best Director: Brady Schwind and Best Scenic Design: Stephen Gifford. On June 22, 2015, it was announced that this immersive production of Carrie would return to Los Angeles in October 2015 for a limited 6 week engagement. The show began performances at the historic Los Angeles Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles on October 1 in advance of an October 8th opening. Playbill confirmed that the majority of the La Mirada cast would be returning, including all leading and supporting actors.
Legacy[]
The Broadway show was instantly legendary and inspired the title of Ken Mandelbaum's 1992 book Not Since Carrie: 40 Years of Broadway Musical Flops.
Not Since Carrie: 40 Years Of Broadway Musical Flops
Following the original production, there were 3 unauthorized productions at Stagedoor Manor, Emerson College and in Denmark in 2001. Although there is no official cast recording of the original 1988 production, several bootleg audio tapes were surreptitiously made during live performances in both Stratford and New York, along with video footage shot from the audience, in addition to the professionally made review tape sent to various journalists to promote the show. These recordings began to circulate soon after the show closed, and it was rumored in the early 1990's that there were plans to record an official cast album, though it never happened. A cast album of the 2012 revival has been released, however. It has been a popular title among youth performers and colleges. It received it's first licensed U.S. high school production at Albuquerque, Sandia Preparatory School in New Mexico in February 2013. Following this, it received it's licensed U.S. collegiate premiere with Macabre Theatre Ensemble in Ithaca, N.Y. in March 2013 directed by Sean Pollock. Betty Buckley recorded the song "When There's No One" for her 1993 album "Children Will Listen" the song also appeared on her 1999 album "Betty Buckley's Broadway", and Linzi Hateley released the title song on her album "Sooner Or Later". In 1999, "Unsuspecting Hearts" was recorded by Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley and released on their album of the same name. Early in the 21st century, playwright Erik Jackson attempted to secure the rights to stage another production of the musical, but his request was denied. Erik eventually earned the consent of Stephen King to mount a new, officially sanctioned, non-musical production of Carrie, which debuted Off-Broadway in 2006 with female impersonator Sherry Vine A.K.A. Keith Levy in the lead role A.K.A. Keith White. Similarly, other unofficial spoofs have been staged over the years, most notably Scarrie! The Musical, Carrie White: The Musical and Carrie's Facts of Life, which was a hybrid of Carrie and the American sitcom The Facts of Life. A high school production of the musical is the focus of "Chapter 31: A Night to Remember" episode of Riverdale hosted by Molly Ranson.
Plot[]
1988 Production[]
Act I[]
Opening in a high school gym, the gym teacher Miss Gardner, is leading the girl's gym class in a strenuous workout ("In"). After class, the girls head to the locker room and have fun teasing a less attractive, plump girl named Carrie White. The girls start to shower while talking about boys and their plans for the upcoming Prom ("Dream On"). Carrie has her first period in the shower and not understanding what is happening, thinks she is bleeding to death. The other girls taunt her mercilessly until Miss Gardner hears the commotion, sends the girls away, and explains menstruation to Carrie. On the way out of the gym, Sue Snell and Christine Hargensen talk about what just happened in the locker room. Sue is already feeling remorseful for her part in the incident, but Christine calls Carrie "Scary White". Carrie is hurt by their name calling and teasing, but dreams of being vindicated and gaining respect from her peers ("Carrie"). Carrie's mother Margaret White is praying ("Open Your Heart") when Carrie arrives home. Carrie joins her mother in prayer for a few minutes and then explains what happened in the locker room. Margaret tells Carrie that the blood is a sign of her sin ("And Eve Was Weak") and forces her into the cellar to pray for forgiveness. That night, many of the high school students are at the drive in theater, including Sue and her boyfriend Tommy Ross and Christine and her boyfriend Billy Nolan. Sue tells Tommy that she is still upset about what she and the other girls did to Carrie in the locker room, while Christine complains about Carrie to Billy ("Don't Waste the Moon"). While the other teenagers are at the drive in, Carrie and Margaret are home praying ("Evening Prayers"). Margaret prays for the strength to help her daughter while Carrie, depressed, questions God's love for her. Margaret apologizes for hurting Carrie and assures her that she loves her unconditionally. At school the following day, Miss Gardner tells the girls they must all apologize to Carrie. Sue and the other girls comply, but Christine refuses. Upset, Miss Gardner tells Christine that she will not be allowed to go to the Prom, and Christine vows revenge. Miss Gardner encourages Carrie to dream about her "Prince Charming" ("Unsuspecting Hearts"). Still upset over the way Carrie has been treated, Sue asks Tommy to take Carrie to the Prom instead of her ("Do Me a Favor"), and he reluctantly agrees. At the same time, Christine asks Billy to help her get revenge on Carrie. Tommy surprises Carrie by knocking on her door and asking her to go to Prom. Though at first confused and uneasy, Carrie eventually agrees to go with him. When she tells her mother the news ("Invited"), Margaret forbids her to go, insisting that all boys just want to take advantage of girls, including her own father ("I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance"), and the Prom would be an occasion of sin. Carrie reveals her supernatural powers, telling her mother that she is determined to attend the Prom and will not be stopped.
Act II[]
The act opens at a pig farm while a storm rages, where Christine, Billy, and several of his friends are on a mission ("Out for Blood"). For their planned revenge on Carrie, they kill a pig and collect it's blood. Back at the high school, Sue is confronted by girls who are upset that Carrie is going to the Prom. Sue believes she is doing the right thing but realizes that doing the right thing is not always easy ("It Hurts to be Strong"). Getting ready for the Prom, Carrie dreams about her date and, in a positive display of her special powers, she sends her dress, shoes, and hairbrush dancing through the air ("I'm Not Alone"). Margaret tries one more time to convince Carrie not to go to the Prom ("Carrie (Reprise 1)"), but Carrie doesn't listen. She leaves for the Prom with Tommy. Alone, Margaret plans to save Carrie from damnation the only way she can ("When There's No One"). Tommy and Carrie arrive at the Prom ("Wotta Night") and everyone is surprised at how beautiful Carrie is. Miss Gardner is there as a chaperone and talks to Carrie about how it feels to be in love ("Unsuspecting Hearts (Reprise)"). Carrie is nervous about dancing with Tommy, but he finally convinces her to go out on the dance floor with him ("Heaven"). As the votes for Prom King and Queen are cast, Tommy, Carrie, Sue, Christine, Billy, and Miss Gardner soliloquize about the events unfolding ("Heaven (Reprise)"). Tommy and Carrie are declared King and Queen of the Prom, and they are crowned as the students sing the "Alma Mater". Suddenly, Billy and Christine appear and dump the bucket of pig's blood on Carrie. Humiliated and incensed, Carrie realizes her full powers. She closes off the gym exits and her embarrassment becomes rage. She snaps and kills everyone present and destroys the gymnasium in a series of violent explosions and a fire. ("The Destruction"). Carrie leaves the Prom and is met by her mother. Margaret comforts her daughter ("Carrie (Reprise 2)") and then stabs her fatally, thinking it will save Carrie's soul. Carrie retaliates, killing Margaret with her powers, and she apologizes as her mother dies. Sue, the only student who was not at the Prom, discovers Carrie and comforts her as she dies.
2012 Production[]
Act I[]
Sue Snell, haunted witness and tour guide to our story, struggles to recount the incidents leading up to the tragic night of May 28th. As she's questioned about the past, figures from her life in high school appear. Whatever their differences be they good girl Sue, her varsity athlete boyfriend Tommy Ross, her spoiled rotten best friend Christine Hargensen, Christine's trouble maker boyfriend Billy Nolan, or perennial misfit Carrie White they are all wrestling with the same insecurities and united in their desire to belong ("In"). After gym class, Carrie experiences her first period in the shower. Her terrified screams for help and seeming ignorance about what's happening to her amuse and inflame the girls. With Christine as ringleader, Sue and the others encircle Carrie, gleefully chanting names and savagely taunting her. As gym teacher Miss Gardner races in at the height of Carrie's hysteria, an overhead light bulb inexplicably explodes. When the girls are reprimanded, they dismissively rationalize, "It's just Carrie," the butt of their jokes since childhood.
Miss Gardner and the guidance counselor and English teacher Mr. Stephens send Carrie home for the rest of the day. But even as she leaves, her classmate's hurtful insults and name calling ricochet in Carrie's mind until she cracks in fury ("Carrie"). Tommy and his friends discuss the upcoming Senior Prom as Billy roars in on his skateboard, clowning around. Carrie passes by and he jeeringly ridicules her. But when she turns a furious glance in his direction, he goes sprawling. Angry and embarrassed, Billy tries to blame his seeming clumsiness on Carrie, but the other guys just laugh. At the White's bungalow, Carrie's mother Margaret White works at her sewing machine and sings along to her favorite evangelical radio program ("Open Your Heart"). When the still troubled Carrie arrives home, she reluctantly joins in the hymn. Carrie summons the courage to tell her mother about the day's traumatic event. The realization that her child is now a woman throws Margaret into a God fearing panic. When Carrie resists, Margaret locks her in a closet to beg for repentance ("And Eve Was Weak"). With her parents out of town, Christine throws a party at which she recounts to the kids the details of that day's incident with Carrie in the locker room. When Sue confused and upset about her role in the hazing protests that it wasn't funny, Christine perversely instructs her in the natural order of things ("The World According to Chris"). Upset by Christine's toxic message, Sue turns her back on her best friend and leaves with Tommy. Back at the White's household, Carrie is still locked in her prayer closet surrounded by religious icons. Margaret, meanwhile, pleads for her own divine guidance. As Carrie puzzles over this new sensation she's been feeling, she grows more agitated. Suddenly, a little figurine of Jesus levitates, leaving Carrie to wonder if this strange power might possibly be coming from within her. Margaret releases her from the closet and tearfully apologizes for her actions, prompting Carrie to beg for forgiveness as well. The two find solace in each other's goodnight embrace ("Evening Prayers"). In English class, Mr. Stephens praises a poem Tommy has written, and has him recite his work ("Dreamer in Disguise"). When the teacher asks the unruly students for reactions, Carrie volunteers. Her heartfelt emotion only provokes the other kid's mockery. After class, Sue acts on Tommy's advice and tries to apologize to Carrie but, thinking it's some kind of trick, Carrie explodes at her and storms off. Shaken and shocked into awareness, Sue muses on their encounter ("Once You See"). Miss Gardner rebukes the girls for their reckless mistreatment of Carrie and demands that they apologize to her or else. They all do, except for Christine, who instead hurls a vicious invective at Carrie. Miss Gardner kicks Christine out of the Prom. Frantic, Christine tries to rally the girls to join her in defying their teacher until Sue shouts defiance. Battle lines are drawn; the best friends are now enemies. When Miss Gardner apologizes to the sobbing Carrie for what just happened, Carrie surprises her by insisting that she's got to let Christine go to Prom. Carrie points out that for girls like Christine, Prom is like a dream. When pressed, Carrie admits that she herself is not going. Moved by Carrie's lack of self-esteem and her need for support, Miss Gardner assures her that things can change ("Unsuspecting Hearts"). Determined to do right by Carrie, Sue asks Tommy for help with a plan she's devised. Similarly, Christine, blaming Carrie for her humiliation, interrupts a make out session with Billy to get his help in her plot for revenge ("Do Me A Favor"). Alone in the library, Carrie reads about telekinesis from a book. Concentrating intensely, she succeeds in moving chairs across the room without touching them, startling herself with this newfound power. In retrospect, the exploding light bulb in the shower and Billy's tumble from his skateboard start to make sense. Nervous but honoring Sue's request, Tommy arrives at Carrie's front door and asks her to Prom. Wary, she repeatedly refuses, until Margaret calls her in for dinner. Worried that her mother will find her with Tommy, Carrie hurriedly accepts the offer to be his date. As he leaves, she calls out a joyous "thank you" as it begins to rain. While the storm outside intensifies, Carrie excitedly tells Margaret of her Prom invitation, triggering Margaret's own tortured reverie ("I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance"). When she orders Carrie to tell Tommy that she can't go, they battle and, as rain starts to blow in, Margaret walks away to close the windows. "I'll get them!" Carrie shouts and uses her mind to slam them shut. Horrified by this display of power that she's certain is the work of "The Devil", Margaret cowers in fear as Carrie calmly finishes her dessert.
Act II[]
Preparations for Prom and the news that Tommy's taking Carrie preoccupy everyone at school, including Christine and Billy, who sneak into the gymnasium with a bucket of pig's blood and set their own nasty prank in place ("A Night We'll Never Forget"). Miss Gardner, suspicious of Sue's motives in having Tommy invite Carrie, warns them both that if they hurt Carrie in any way, they'll have to answer to her. Sue worries that Tommy is mad at her too, but insists he's merely disappointed, wanting to take his girlfriend to Prom. To make up for the event they're going to miss, he takes her into the half-decorated gym to share a private romantic moment ("You Shine"). It's finally Prom Night. The kids are electric with nervous excitement, and Carrie, no less anxious, resolves to make the most of the evening ("Why Not Me?"). Frantic with worry, Margaret tries to undermine Carrie's confidence ("Stay Here Instead"). Just then, Tommy arrives, and Carrie, looking ravishing in the gown she's made herself, departs with him. Alone, Margaret struggles with fundamentalist scriptures. "She must be sacrificed. Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Her duty however horrific a and tragic is clear ("When There's No One"). At the gym, the psyched kids show off their Prom finery and pose for yearbook photos. Tommy enters with Carrie, and the crowd's reaction to her stunning transformation turns from initially hostile to unexpectedly welcoming ("Prom Arrival"). Miss Gardner, surprised and delighted by Carrie's new self-assurance, shares her own recollection of Prom, and teacher and student trade notes on this timeless high school ritual ("Unsuspecting Hearts (Reprise)"). After much coaxing, Tommy leads a hesitant Carrie onto the dance floor where they're observed first by Sue, who's felt compelled to sneak in and see how her plan has worked out, and then by Christine's partner in crime, Norma Watson ("Dreamer in Disguise (Reprise)"). Christine and Billy, hidden high in the rafters above, prepare to unleash their prank, as Sue comes upon Norma switching real Prom ballots for fake ones, arousing her suspicions ("Prom Climax"). Votes tabulated, Mr. Stephens and Miss Gardner announce Tommy and Carrie as Prom King and Queen. While the assembled salute them with the school song ("Alma Mater"), Sue spots the bucket dangling above the coronation area, confirming her worst suspicions. Frantic, she tries to warn Miss Gardner, but the teacher, who's been wary of Sue's motives in forgoing her Prom in favor of Carrie, pushes her out of the gym. Christine cues Billy, who yanks the bucket and drenches Carrie in blood. As the prom goers stunned silence turns to derisive laughter, her unimaginable humiliation turns to fury and then madness, finally cute giggles. Lashing out with her power, she exacts a terrible revenge on friend and foe alike, slamming and locking the doors and then the prom goers are forced to twist and bend and are forced to dance a morbid dance of death. ("The Destruction"). Powerless, Sue watches her classmates all perish in one case one student is even forced to snap her own neck. Sue is the only survivor. As emergency whistles sound and sirens wail, Sue follows the path of destruction that leads through the street to Carrie's house. Carrie arrives home in her bloody prom dress and finds momentary solace in her mother's arms ("Carrie (Reprise)"). Just as she's lulled into a sense of safety, Margaret fulfilling what she believes to be her biblical duty plunges a knife into her daughter. Wounded and trying to defend herself from further assault, Carrie uses her powers to stop her mother's heart. Sue stumbles into this horrific scene and hearing Carrie's anguished cries, rushes to her side to comfort her. But she's too late. As Carrie dies in her arms, the figures from Sue's memory provide a final, haunting testimony of redemption ("Epilogue").
Characters[]
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Carrie White | The main character, Carrie is a shy outcast who is often bullied by her classmates. While showering at school, Carrie has her first period, for which the other girls in her class tease her. This event sparks the emergence of Carrie's telekinetic powers, which she ultimately uses for revenge after being cruelly pranked at the Prom. After suffering a breakdown after being doused in pig's blood, Carrie kills her entire class and teachers due to setting the school on fire, only to come home to be fatally stabbed by her mother. Carrie then uses her powers to kill her mother, dying shortly afterwards of her stab wound comforted by Sue. |
| Margaret White | The main antagonist of the show. Carrie's overprotective and abusive mother, Margaret is a religious fanatic. Although she loves Carrie and wants to protect her from the world, especially from the school, her fanaticism often drives her to homeschool or abuse her daughter. After Carrie develops telekinesis and goes to the Prom against her wishes, Margaret comes to believe that killing Carrie is a sacrifice and that is the only way to save her from damnation. Carrie uses her telekinetic powers to stop her mother's heart in retaliation after being stabbed by her. |
| Sue Snell | This main character is one of the most popular girls at school, Sue initially teases Carrie like all the other girls, but later feels remorse for what she's done. To make up for all she's done, she asks her boyfriend, Tommy Ross, to take Carrie to Prom instead of her. Sue goes to the Prom to see how things ended up and when she realizes that Carrie is in trouble she goes to Miss Gardner for help. However, Miss Gardner expels Sue from school, thinking that she is attempting to criticize Carrie. Sue witnesses Carrie's breakdown at the Prom and when she finds Carrie back at her house, Sue comforts Carrie during her last moments, having forgiven her for what she's done, before she is arrested for being her associate in the first place. |
| Tommy Ross | Carrie's version of "Prince Charming". At first Tommy takes no interest in Carrie but takes her to the Prom after his girlfriend Sue, asks him to. Tommy is apprehensive but soon finds himself falling in love with Carrie. Although ignorant of the prank Christine has planned for Carrie, he dies with the rest of the students when Carrie takes her revenge at the Prom. |
| Christine Hargensen | Christine hates Carrie, bullying her at every opportunity. She leads the other girls in throwing tampons at Carrie after she has her first period, and feels no remorse after the fact. After Christine is banned from the Prom as punishment for bullying Carrie, she vows revenge. She comes up with the idea of dumping a bucket of pig's blood on Carrie at the Prom. Christine dies during Carrie's revenge. |
| Billy Nolan | The "not so smart" boyfriend of Christine. Although he is not in school he plans to take Christine to Prom until Christine is forbidden from attending the event. He kills a pig for Christine and harvests it's blood in order to prank Carrie. He is killed when Carrie has her breakdown. |
| Miss Gardner | Carrie's "Fairy Godmother". At first she is disgusted by what she sees in the shower but soon realizes that Carrie has no idea what's happening to her. She explains menstruation to Carrie and helps Carrie develop her self-esteem, giving her the courage to accept Tommy's invitation to Prom. She is pleased to see Carrie happy at the Prom. She is later killed in Carrie's destructive rampage. |
Cast[]
| Characters | Workshop (1984) | Stratford (1988) | Broadway (1988) | Reading (2009) | Off-Broadway (2012) | Seattle (2013) | Sydney (2013) | Los Angeles (2015) | London (2015) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrie White | Annie Golden | Linzi Hateley | Molly Ranson | Keaton Whittaker | Hilary Cole | Emily Lopez | Evelyn Hoskins | ||
| Margaret White | Maureen McGovern | Barbara Cook | Betty Buckley | Marin Mazzie | Alice Ripley | Margi de Ferranti | Missy Cotton | Kim Criswell | |
| Sue Snell | Laura Dean | Sally Ann Triplett | Jennifer Damiano | Christy Altomare | Larissa Schmitz | Adèle Parkison | Kayla Parker | Sarah McNicholas | |
| Tommy Ross | Todd Graff | Paul Gyngell | Matt Doyle | Derek Klena | Kody Bringman | Robert Johnson | Jon Robert Hall | Greg Miller Burns | |
| Christine Hargensen | Liz Callaway | Charlotte d'Amboise | Diana DeGarmo | Jeanna de Waal | Tessa Archer | Prudence Holloway | Valerie Rose Curiel | Gabriella Williams | |
| Billy Nolan | Peter Neptune | Gene Anthony Ray | John Arthur Greene | Ben Thompson | Andrew Brewer | Toby Francis | Garrett Marshall | Dex Lee | |
| Miss Gardner | Laurie Beechman | Darlene Love | Sutton Foster | Carmen Cusack | Kendra Kassebaum | Bridget Gardner | Jenelle Lynn Randall | Jodie Jacobs | |
Songs[]
Stratford[]
Act I[]
- "In" – Christine, Sue, Miss Gardner and Female Chorus
- "Dear Lord" – Carrie
- "Dream On" – Christine, Sue, Carrie and Female Chorus
- "Her Mother Should Have Told Her" – Miss Gardner and Sue
- "Carrie" – Carrie
- "Open Your Heart" – Margaret and Carrie
- "And Eve Was Weak" – Margaret and Carrie
- "Don't Waste The Moon" – Sue, Tommy, Christine, Billy and Chorus
- "Evening Prayers" – Margaret and Carrie
- "Unsuspecting Hearts" – Miss Gardner and Carrie
- "Do Me A Favor" – Sue, Tommy, Christine, Billy and Chorus
- "I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance" – Margaret and Carrie
Act II[]
- "Crackerjack/Out For Blood" – Christine, Billy and Male Chorus
- "Dream On (The Prom)" – Female Chorus
- "White Star" – Sue
- "I'm Not Alone" – Carrie
- "Carrie (Reprise 1)" – Margaret and Carrie
- "When There's No One" – Margaret
- "Wotta Night" – Chorus
- "Unsuspecting Hearts (Reprise)" – Miss Gardner and Carrie
- "Heaven" – Tommy, Sue, Margaret, Miss Gardner, Carrie, Christine, Billy, and Chorus
- "Alma Mater" – Chorus
- "The Destruction" – Carrie
- "Carrie (Reprise 2)" – Margaret
Broadway[]
Act I[]
- "In" - Christine, Sue, Miss Gardner and Female Chorus
- "Dream On" - Christine, Sue, Carrie and Female Chorus
- "Carrie" - Carrie
- "Open Your Heart" - Margaret and Carrie
- "And Eve Was Weak" - Margaret and Carrie
- "Don't Waste The Moon" - Sue, Tommy, Christine, Billy and Chorus
- "Evening Prayers" - Margaret and Carrie
- "Unsuspecting Hearts" - Miss Gardner and Carrie
- "Do Me A Favor" - Sue, Tommy, Christine, Billy and Chorus
- "Invited" - Carrie
- "I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance" - Margaret and Carrie
Act II[]
- "Out For Blood" - Christine, Billy, and Male Chorus
- "It Hurts To Be Strong" - Sue
- "I'm Not Alone" - Carrie
- "Carrie (Reprise 1)" - Margaret and Carrie
- "When There's No One" - Margaret
- "Wotta Night" - Chorus
- "Unsuspecting Hearts (Reprise)" - Miss Gardner and Carrie
- "Heaven" - Tommy
- "Heaven (Reprise)" - Sue, Tommy, Miss Gardner, Carrie, Christine, Billy and Chorus
- "Alma Mater" - Chorus
- "The Destruction" - Carrie
- "Carrie (Reprise 2)" - Margaret
Off-Broadway[]
Act I[]
- "In" - Sue, Tommy, Christine, Billy and Chorus
- "Carrie" - Carrie
- "Open Your Heart" - Reverend Bliss, Margaret, Carrie and Chorus
- "And Eve Was Weak" - Margaret and Carrie
- "The World According to Chris" - Christine, Billy, Sue, Tommy and Chorus
- "Evening Prayers" - Margaret and Carrie
- "Dreamer In Disguise" - Tommy
- "Once You See" - Sue
- "Unsuspecting Hearts" - Miss Gardner and Carrie
- "Do Me A Favor" - Sue, Tommy, Christine, Billy and Chorus
- "I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance" - Margaret and Carrie
Act II[]
- "A Night We'll Never Forget" – Sue, Tommy, Carrie, Christine, Billy and Chorus
- "You Shine" – Tommy and Sue
- "Why Not Me?" – Carrie
- "Stay Here Instead" – Margaret and Carrie
- "When There's No One" – Margaret
- "Prom Arrival" – Chorus
- "Unsuspecting Hearts (Reprise)" - Carrie and Miss Gardner
- "Dreamer In Disguise (Reprise)" - Tommy and Carrie
- "Prom Climax" - Christine, Billy, Carrie, Tommy and Chorus
- "Alma Mater" - Chorus
- "The Destruction" - Carrie, Christine, Billy, Tommy, Miss Gardner and Chorus
- "Carrie (Reprise)" – Margaret
- "Epilogue" – Sue, Tommy, Christine, Billy, Miss Gardner, Margaret and Chorus
Differences from the novel[]
- Christine and Billy run on stage and throw the blood on Carrie instead of dumping it from the ceiling. This was because of the difficulty in drenching Linzi Hateley in stage blood, which would clog her body microphone. Since her song "The Destruction" began almost immediately, there was no time to clear the microphone before it was needed.
- In the novel, Christine is forbidden from attending the Prom because she skips detention as punishment for bullying Carrie. In the musical, however, the detention is not mentioned and Christine is punished for choosing to yell out her standard taunt “Carrie White Eats Shot!” to Carrie, instead of apologizing to her.
- The 1988 Broadway musical episode does not include Carrie's destruction of the whole town, following from the Prom, which occurs in the novel. However, in the 2012 Off-Broadway musical, a trail of destruction from the school to Carrie's house is mentioned.
- In the musical, Christine and Billy are killed during The Black Prom. However, in the novel, Carrie kills them by causes their car to crash, a few hours after the Prom.
- The characters of the principal and the gym teacher are merged into a single character named “Miss Gardner”.
- In the 1988 Broadway musical episode, Margaret forces Carrie into is a cellar to pray rather than a closet, like in the novel. However, in the 2012 Off-Broadway musical the cellar is changed back into a closet.
- The Alma Mater song is different from that of the Ewen High School's song, in the novel.
- In the musical it is implied that Carrie kills Tommy during The Black Prom. But in the novel, however, he is killed when the bucket of the pig's blood falls on him.
- While in the novel says that Ralph White died, the musical implies that he left Margaret when she was pregnant with Carrie, causing her to intense on distrust men.
- In the musical, Billy is more reluctant to pour the pig's blood on Carrie by stating "Even for me, this trick is pretty damn sick". However, in the novel, he has a sadistic thrill and pushes Christine to do it.
